[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by hserus

Sarjapur has this -

If any of these, or actually, any random hotel, is within a km of your meetings, book it blindly. It just isn't worth the time and trouble to commute for any further distance in that area.

Both Marriott and Ibis are at Bellandur/Ecospace and not exactly Sarjapur. There are other options on Sarjapur road itself like Double tree suites.

[Superleggera]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Haha, great suggestion but public transport not an option for me, sorry. I am the kind of chump who used to drive my precious Indica 2000 from Kandivali to Nariman Point and back in 2001 Mumbai traffic (without the many flyovers + Sea-Link).

Driving is a MUST!

Take the Nice road and get into Electronics City and then take Hosa road to get into Sarjapur Road.
The Usual traffic in Hosa road is in the opposite direction, so you should be okay.
As someone already suggested, better to book a hotel than doing this for a whole week

[binand]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

I've never commuted on Sarjapur Road on a weekday, but given the nightmare it is on weekends traveling to & from the cricket fields in that area (esp. the return ride/drive post-game), I wouldn't wish a commute in peak traffic on my worst enemy.

I have to take it occasionally to go to my children's school; it is impossible on weekdays. What I do is to come via Bellandur lake road-Sakra hospital-cross ORR-Ecoworld-road behind APR-Carmelaram gate-Gunjur-Sarjapur. Slow-ish progress but not pathetic.

Even on weekends the stretch from Columbia Asia till the Fire Station can take 20 minutes. And then crossing the U-turn for Jail Road is another 15 minutes. The turn-off to Harvest school (on a weekday) once took me 45 minutes to cross. That road is truly a nightmare.

Originally Posted by Superleggera

Take the Nice road and get into Electronics City and then take Hosa road to get into Sarjapur Road.

That would convert this 2-hours-but-could-be-3 commute to a 4+ hour one, no? Yelakanka to NICE road, NICE end-to-end, entry and exit toll booths at morning peak time, the signal to turn into Hosa Road, full stretch of Hosa road and finally, once on Sarjapur road you are in the direction going towards Iblur with the U-turn (at the fire station) sometimes 20 minutes away.

[Superleggera]

Originally Posted by binand

That would convert this 2-hours-but-could-be-3 commute to a 4+ hour one, no? Yelakanka to NICE road, NICE end-to-end, entry and exit toll booths at morning peak time, the signal to turn into Hosa Road, full stretch of Hosa road and finally, once on Sarjapur road you are in the direction going towards Iblur with the U-turn (at the fire station) sometimes 20 minutes away.

If you start a bit early, NICE road will be okay I believe. I have not traveled much in that direction on peak hours , but i still believe that apart from toll booths NICE road will be faster. On internal roads, you don't really know where you are going to get stuck and as you cannot be late, take the route that has less uncertainties !

[CaptainPrice]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Have a week's worth of C-suite business meetings down at Sarjapur Road and want to be there by 0900 (although meetings start at 0930). No option of being 'late'.

I stay in Yelahanka - which route should I take?


Any advice will be highly appreciated!

I just spoke to a colleague of mine who mentioned that he leaves his Yelahanka home by 0645 hrs on a bike to make it to our Kadubeesanahalli (Bellandur) office by 0800 hrs. He also mentioned that if he leaves by 0730 hrs on a bike, he'll reach here only by 0900 hrs.
Which means that if you, plan to be at Sarjapur Road (which is about 7 km away from my office) by 0900 hrs in a car, you better leave by 0630 hrs the first day and check out the route in order to plan for subsequent days.

I agree with the others that it's better to catch a train. The most convenient option - a hotel room - is also the most expensive, but it's probably worth the price since you mentioned that these are C-Suite level meetings.

Cheers!

[ampere]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Have a week's worth of C-suite business meetings down at Sarjapur Road and want to be there by 0900 (although meetings start at 0930). No option of being 'late'.

There are 2 types of traffic you will need to negotiate:

- The ORR rush which includes Hebbal-KR Puram white toping, KR Puram traffic, ISRO Junction traffic, ECO Space/Bellandur.

- The Sarjapur road traffic.

While the first is well known, and you can beat that by being early, the second one is a bigger problem. Even if you try to reach early, the time around 8 is all about school bus menace past Columbia Asia past toward Sarjapur.

Blame it on innumerable U turns and school buses, vans, cars etc choking these turns.

Depending on where you need to go to on Sarjapur, road it would be easier. But still all said and done, reach early always helps. Start by 6/6:30 and you should be able to make it by 7/7:30 and spend the rest 2 hours doing your office work.

[binand]

Originally Posted by Superleggera

If you start a bit early, NICE road will be okay I believe.

How can it be, when a quick check shows that from Yelahanka to Wipro Gate on Sarjapur Road via Nagavara/KR Pura/Bellandur is 35 km and via Nelamangala/Konappana Agrahara/Hosa Road is 75 km (of which only 40 km is NICE)?

Originally Posted by ampere

Blame it on innumerable U turns and school buses, vans, cars etc choking these turns.

Oh yeah. There are about 20-25 schools along Sarjapur Road and off it. With large bus fleets (my kids' has a fleet of 150+, for example). With classes starting at around 8.30 AM or so.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by binand

How can it be, when a quick check shows that from Yelahanka to Wipro Gate on Sarjapur Road via Nagavara/KR Pura/Bellandur is 35 km and via Nelamangala/Konappana Agrahara/Hosa Road is 75 km (of which only 40 km is NICE)?.

NICE won't be any quicker even with an early start. I never take NICE road for EC from Yelahanka even if I am leaving at 0730.And anything earlier to this City route would work faster.

It takes time to reach NICE whether you take ORR and enter at PESIT or enter via Tumkur Road. And now the exit at Hosur road is famous for jams as one side of service road is closed and it takes nearly 20 to 40m to just get out of NICE from toll. Plus turning back towards City at here is a circus these days.

By this time one can always take City or ORR and reach Sarjapur road.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by ampere

While the first is well known, and you can beat that by being early, the second one is a bigger problem. Even if you try to reach early, the time around 8 is all about school bus menace past Columbia Asia past toward Sarjapur.

Blame it on innumerable U turns and school buses, vans, cars etc choking these turns.

.

Originally Posted by binand

Oh yeah. There are about 20-25 schools along Sarjapur Road and off it. With large bus fleets (my kids' has a fleet of 150+, for example). With classes starting at around 8.30 AM or so.

That's another unique thing about Sarjapur Road. These tons of schools make what are typically non peak hours in most other areas a traffic filled sea of yellow on Sarjapur road. Morning 7-8am , afternoon 12-1 and evening 3-4.

[drive2eternity]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Have a week's worth of C-suite business meetings down at Sarjapur Road

Well, you have got a lot of advice already and it does seem appropriate to leave by 0630 hours to assess the situation and then make the plans for remaining days.

However, if I was in your place, I would book a hotel somewhere on Sarjapur Road or vicinity and save the hassle.

PS- I have done it when I had to visit BIEC for 3 straight days from Whitefield.

[itwasntme]

Thanks to everyone! Left Yelahanka at 0650 and was at Sarjapur Road destination by 0830. Google initially suggested ORR via KRP but then changed to the city route via Brigade Road, St John's Hospital and direct onto S'pur Road. Smooth trip. Evening is another matter altogether!

[CaptainPrice]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Thanks to everyone! Left Yelahanka at 0650 and was at Sarjapur Road destination by 0830. Google initially suggested ORR via KRP but then changed to the city route via Brigade Road, St John's Hospital and direct onto S'pur Road. Smooth trip. Evening is another matter altogether!

That's half the battle won. Good job! Your buffer is still 30 minutes, though, so it would be wise to not delay your morning departure any further. Good luck for the following week.

Cheers!

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Thanks to everyone! Left Yelahanka at 0650 and was at Sarjapur Road destination by 0830. Google initially suggested ORR via KRP but then changed to the city route via Brigade Road, St John's Hospital and direct onto S'pur Road. Smooth trip. Evening is another matter altogether!

It’s quite interesting how the old routes are probably the faster and better routes, despite the signals.
Yesterday I went to Manyata for a meeting. Using the city route from Koramangala through to Hebbal and then going to Manyata took us 1 hour door to door. Left at 145pm. Reached at 240pm.
Coming back, we squizzled off the ORR and came through Kammanahalli, Fraser Town, Ulsoor, Domlur and to HSR. Left Manyata at 5ish. Reached home at 645pm. It took fully 15-20 mins to leave the main gate. I made a 15 min stop to drop my colleague near Command Hospital and then went home. So all this took only 1 hour and 45 mins.

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

It's quite interesting how the old routes are probably the faster and better routes, despite the signals.

I believe the problem lies in the unscientific flyovers and underpasses. There is no seamless flow of traffic and everyone has to keep switching between lanes even to go straight.

From my home to office I start in the service lane, enter the ORR in the middle lane from under a bridge, then fight the traffic turning right to move to the center lane so that I can climb over the next flyover then move to the left lane to exit into the service lane and then cross the road at an 8 way mess, all in a matter of 4 KMs. When bmtc busses do this kind of lane switching, traffic is inevitable.

I also feel the traffic sense in ORR is bad compared to the city route. Sad part is many of the educated IT folks are worse than auto wallas when it comes to flouting one way rules.

[motomaverick]

After the BBMP took up the signal free overpass project from Kendriya Sadan to Ejipura traffic is a mess. I stay in 1st Koramangala and need to drop my daughter at the school near Koramangala club and crossing this mess sometimes takes 40 mins. 4kms and 40 mins is unbelievable. Does not matter what shortcut or bylanes I try to take will find traffic. Plus the added nuisance of folks not sticking to their lanes which blocks traffic movement. I dont know when they are going to finish this project so now trying with different time slots to start. Yesterday started at 9am spent around 30 mins.

Today started at 8.55am and reached the school at 9.15am.